Anybody can write a short story--a bad one, I mean--who has industry and paper and time enough; but not every one may hope to write even a bad novel. It is the length that kills.
Robert Louis Stevenson, “My First Book: Treasure Island” in The Art of Writing and Other Essays (1905).
3 comments:
"but not every one may hope to write even a bad novel. It is the length that kills"
Although, there are some online novels that cast doubt on this premise.
I agree with Hank - length is not always an indicator of quality. RL might have changed his mind if he knew someday we'd all have access to word processing.
Yes, I have to concede that modern technology makes it easier to write a bad novel. I don't know that it makes it any easier to write a good one though!
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